The Lost Beatles Song

What is ‘Carnival Of Light’?

‘Carnival Of Light’ is a 14-minute avant-garde track recorded by The Beatles on 5 January 1967 at Abbey Road Studios during sessions for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Created for The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave, a psychedelic multimedia event held at the Roundhouse in London, the piece was commissioned by underground artists Douglas Binder, Dudley Edwards, and Dave Vaughan.

Paul McCartney, who had been experimenting with tape loops, musique concrète, and montage films at his home, was introduced to Vaughan and the others through their mutual friend Tara Browne. After commissioning them to paint his upright piano, McCartney agreed to provide a soundtrack for their countercultural happening. This event preceded the more famous 14-Hour Technicolor Dream by a few months and featured the Roundhouse draped in sheets for light shows, with art installations and films projecting as the soundtrack played.

At 13 minutes and 48 seconds, ‘Carnival Of Light’ was the longest Beatles recording at the time. Crucially, its existence debunks the notion that it was only John Lennon who was interested in the avant-garde music scene. In fact, the track was penned almost entirely by McCartney, reflecting his deep interest in avant-garde pioneers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. To this day, the song has only ever been heard by those who attended the premiere at the Roundhouse and a select few Abbey Road insiders.

What might it sound like?

The track is often described as a sound collage or free-form improvisation, full of experimental noises, distorted instruments, and tape loops. There are no real lyrics, only intermittent nonsensical shouting from Lennon and McCartney. Barry Miles, the ’60s counterculture icon and author of Paul McCartney’s official biography, Many Years from Now, recounted how the track had ‘no rhythm… [a] beat is sometimes established for a few bars by the percussion or a rhythmic pounding on the piano. There is no melody, though snatches of a tune sometimes threaten to break through’. At one point, McCartney even plays a piano rendition of ‘Fixing A Hole’. Therefore, during the premiere, listeners got a sneak peek of a song that wouldn’t be heard by the rest of the world for another six months!

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn was granted access to the completed recording of ‘Carnival Of Light’ while compiling his 1988 book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and provides the most in-depth analysis we have of the piece:

Yet we may not be missing out on all that much by never hearing the song. According to McCartney biographer Ian Peel, many who heard the recording were “comprehensively underwhelmed”. Barry Miles, one of the very few to ever hear the track, recalled it as “really dreadful” and stressed that “it doesn’t bear being released”. When George Martin was asked in an interview twenty years later whether he remembered ‘Carnival Of Light’, he responded: “No, and I don’t think I want to, either!”

In spite of all this, many Beatles enthusiasts remain very keen to hear ‘Carnival Of Light’, as its elusiveness has taken on an almost mythical status among fans, fuelling ongoing fascination. The human mind is naturally drawn to the unknown and unheard, and the fact that only a select few have ever listened to the piece has made ‘Carnival Of Light‘ a source of obsession for those longing to uncover this hidden chapter of Beatles lore.

Will ‘Carnival Of Light’ ever see the light of day?

So what are the chances of ever actually hearing the infamous song? Well, it’s not an impossibility, especially considering McCartney on multiple occasions has expressed interest in releasing it. In 1996, Paul McCartney advocated for the release of the song, but was overruled by George Harrison, who was often critical of avant-garde music, once quipping “avant-got-a-clue.” McCartney confirmed in 2008 that he still possessed the tape, and as of 2016, he remained open to the idea of releasing it. Following the highly anticipated release of ‘Now And Then’ in 2023, many Beatles fans have renewed calls for ‘Carnival Of Light’ to finally see an official release.

While ‘Carnival Of Light’ is likely no ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ or ‘Here Comes The Sun’, it is nonetheless an interesting insight into just how far The Beatles had pushed musical boundaries by this time. It is a true artifact of the counterculture, where artists sought to break free from conventional forms and create something truly out-of-this-world. Finally, the eagerness of many to uncover this hidden gem encapsulates how much The Beatles continue to fascinate and inspire decades later and to come.